Love in Midst of Murder
by Forever-Fangirl-PJO-HP
Summary: Detectives Chase and Jackson of the NYPD must work together to catch a serial killer, but in the midst of murder and danger will sparks fly? Or will this be their last case? Percabeth! All mortal. AU. Please review.
1. Introducing Chase

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm trying something new here so hopefully you guys like it. **

The blonde woman lay motionless with blood piling around her staining the luxurious carpet. The letter K was drawn out on the coffee table in blood. I carefully stepped around the coffee table to examine the woman closely. She was lying on her side, almost in a fetus position wearing a red cocktail dress and high heels that hid the blood stain pretty well. There was a white handkerchief tied around her mouth, I could still smell the chloroform off of it. I stood up,

"Well she comes into her house after a party and someone chloroforms her then stabs her and leaves after marking the scene with a signature," I summed up. Malcolm nodded.

"That makes sense, the doctors place the time of death around 11 to 12 last night and the maid verifies that the victim went to a party last night. The victim's name was Ashley by the way."

"Can I talk to the maid?"

"Sure, she's a bit distressed though, and doesn't speak English that well" he led the way to the kitchen where a middle aged woman was sitting. The poor woman looked so scared. I smiled at her and asked kindly,

"Can I ask you some questions?"

The woman nodded.

"Okay, when did you get here today, can you describe what happened?"

"I get here 7 o'clock. I come in normal and go make coffee for Miss. Then I go to clean living room, and Miss is on floor dead!" sensing another breakout I quickly calmed the woman and ask her instead,

"What about last night?"

"Last night I clean little then go home early, Miss going to party."

"Did she do that often?"

"Yes, Miss like parties, she go a lot."

"Did she have a boyfriend or someone she went to parties with often?"

"She go with friends, no boyfriend, but lot of men who she go to party with."

"Do you know their names?"

She nodded and I asked Malcolm to note down all the necessary information. As he did that I looked around for anything else that might help me solve the case. There were many pictures and I could see the dead woman smiling in all of them surrounded by friends. There was something off though. I turned back to the maid,

"Did Ashley dye her hair?"

The maid nodded, "Yes, she had brown hair but she change to yellow."

"When was this?"

"About two month back."

I turned my head as the front door opened and Captain Gregson walked in, followed by another man. The stranger was tall, and athletic with dark raven black hair. He had beautiful sea green eyes filled with mirth, he was handsome. I shifted my gaze to the Captain,

"Hello sir."

"Chase this Detective Jackson." The man- Detective Jackson grinned at me.

"He will be working with you on this case."

**A/N: So how was it? Should I continue? I would love some feedback so please review!**

**Also I used the same name of the Captain (Gregson) from the show Elementary so that character isn't mine (I couldn't come up with a good name for the Captain).**

**See ya :-)**


	2. Introducing Jackson

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm back. Sorry that the other chapter was so short, but I was testing out the story. Anyway, thanks to the people who reviewed. I love the support! :) **

**So here goes:**

Percy POV

"Hello"

"Hello, is this Detective Jackson?"

"Yes," I was a bit confused.

"This is captain Gregson of the NYPD,"

"Oh, yes sir?"

"You are in charge of the case involving the murder of Briana James?"

"Yes , I am working on that case"

"We have a lead, another body"

"It has the same mark?"

"The K is clear as day, you want to see the crime scene?"

"That would be great sir"

"Can you meet me in the station in about ten minutes"

"Yes, of course sir"

After hanging up, I gathered all the files related to the case and left for the station. I was glad that there was more evidence, the trail had started to fade away. I entered the headquarters for the NYPD to see the captain. We had never talked that much just a few brief greetings. I met the captain outside his office and we got into a car to go to the crime scene. I was briefed on the case on the way there.

"Detective Annabeth Chase is working on this case too, she is an excellent detective, you will be working with her"

I have to say I was curious about the detective, Annabeth was a pretty name and it wasn't often that I met a female heading a case.

We pulled up to a house with a small nicely kept lawn, in a posh neighborhood, the place screamed wealth. We walked into the house. A woman who was examining the photos on the wall looked up. I was stunned, she was beautiful. She was tall, slim and had golden curly blond hair with grey eyes that seemed to analyze everything. I was vaguely aware of Gregson introducing us,

"Chase, this is Detective Jackson" I grinned at her.

"He will be working with you on this case."

I held out my hand "Percy Jackson"

She shook my hand, "Annabeth Chase."

"I have a meeting to attend, so I'll leave you now. I'll see you both later" the captain said before swiftly walking out the door.

Annabeth led me to the murder site, " What brings you to this case" she asked as I examined the scene.

"Three days ago Briana James was murdered, in the same way Ashley was. Chloroformed then stabbed. The killer left a mark on the wall" I pointed to the K.

She nodded, "So how far along are you on that case"

I frowned, "Not as far as I like to be, I've been looking into her past to see if there is anything there."

"Well the two crimes are obviously connected, but its interesting that the killer didn't leave any clues behind yet marks the scene with a signature." She stated

"He wants to be known, he wants recognition."

She was about to say something when another man walked into the room.

"Annabeth, I got all the names and contact info for-" he stopped short seeing me.

"Malcolm this is detective Jackson, he is going to assist us in this case, Detective this is Malcolm"

He shook my hand.

"Please call me Percy," I told them. I didn't want to be so formal. Especially with her.

She smiled at me then turned to Malcolm who handed her the files.

" You want to explore the rest of the place?" She asked.

I nodded and we looked around the rest of the house finding nothing of interest.

"Let's head back to the station and look through these names." She offered.

We both got into her car. I was strangely nervous about being with her alone. She had proved herself to be clever and she was undeniably beautiful. We talked a bit about our careers and interests. The more I got to know her, the more I liked her.

We arrived at the station and went into a room to analyze the files, trying to find connections and clues, anything that would give us a lead on what to do next.

About an hour or so later we decided to list out the facts.

"Well, there are no connections between the two murdered woman at all." I stated.

"True, they must mean something to the killer specifiaclly."

"Yes,and look at how similar they were, they were both blonde, tall and sufficiently wealthy."

"Briana James was an aristrocrat, who particpated in a lot of community welfare programs. and Ashley was a young, rich and wild woman who loved to go to parties."

" So they both fit the description, this implies that he might be a serial killer."

We were both silent contemplating that idea when, I decided we need a break.

"Hey, you wanna get some coffee," I asked.

She looked up from the papers, a bit surprised. I was suddenly nervous she would refuse.

Then she smiled warmly and said, "Sure."

**A/N: Well how was it? Sorry if it was a bit dull but I need to establish the setting and plot. (There will be fluff in the next chapter) Please review! I would love feedback! **

**See ya soon! :)**


	3. The Not-Date

**A/N: Hey guys here is the bext chapter. This one has a lot of fluff, I wanted to add a chapter in like this before we got to the next part of the investigation. **

**Here goes:**

Annabth POV

Percy Jackson had just asked me to get coffee. I don't know why this was a big deal, he had just wanted a break, its not like a date or anything. But you want it to be, a small annoying voice in the back of my mind said. Okay I'm not going to deny any attraction to the handsome man in front of me, but that didn't mean anything. We walked over to a nearby cafe and ordered our drinks. I watched as he added chocolate to his drink. I laughed,

"That much sugar can not be good for you."

"Au contraire, Miss Chase. I always do my best detective work on sugar." And he proceeded to add whipped creme making a huge show of it.

"Give me that," I said snatching the can away from him and adding it to my drink.

He huffed and crossed his arms like a child. I laughed at him,

"Yes, yes poor you. Save the sob story," I turned away and walked to a table in the corner.

He followed holding a hand over his heart, "I've been wounded." We sat down at the table and as I sipped the caffeine I sighed.

"Rough morning?" Percy asked.

"You could say that, I got called for that murder this morning barely giving me time to eat breakfast."

He frowned, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,"

"I'm sure it is." I teased.

He rolled his eyes, "But you must be hungry, let's get you something to eat."

I tried to protest but he wouldn't let me and in the end we both ordered sandwiches.

"So Annabeth tell me more about yourself."

I looked at him in mock suspicion, "Why, are you trying to profile me,"

He held up his hands, "You caught me."

I smiled, "Well that just shows I'm a great detective."

"That you are." I blushed slightly at the compliment. We continued to eat and talk as we told each other about ourselves. The more we talked, the more I liked him. He was such a sweet caring person, my heart almost broke when he told me about his mother and terrible stepfather. He was such a nice and easy-going person regardless of what happened to him. I in turn told him about my not so great childhood. I watched him as he stiffened when I told him about my neglecting father. It was so cute the way he seemed to get angry at things even though they were past. Oh god, I have to stop. The conversation switched to a more lighter note and soon we were laughing hard at his jokes. He got whipped cream on his nose and I laughed at the sight.

"You..ah..you have." I tried to say but kept laughing.

He frowned, "What?"

"You have whipped cream on your nose," I managed. He wiped his nose but it was still there.

I reached over, "Hold on let me get it." I added more whipped cream to his face.

"Hey!" he exclaimed when figuring out what I had done. He then proceeded to smear whipped cream on my face. I tried dodging him but to no avail. We finally leaned back laughing. I'm sure people were looking over at us weirdly but I didn't care. I hadn't had this much fun in a long time and Percy had given it to me in less than a day. We both wiped of any remaining whipped cream off our faces. I looked at Percy who was staring at me.

"What?" I asked suddenly self conscious.

He shook his head, "Nothing it's just," and he reached over and wiped my cheek with his thumb, slightly cupping my cheek in his hand. We started into each others eyes for a moment. We held our gazes and I was sure we were getting a little closer, his hand still on my cheek. Then my phone rang. We both sprang back quickly and I hurriedly picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Annabeth, " Malcolm's voice said from the other end, "We have a suspect."

**A/N: Well what did you think? Next chapter has more on the investigation. Please review! I would love some feedback. **


	4. A Suspect

**A/N: Hey guys! Here is the next chapter. We are back to the actual case now. Thanks again to all the people who reviewed, followed and favorited this story! **

Percy POV

"Ethan Brown, we found and angry voicemail of his on Ashley's phone. He said things like, 'you're going to regret this,' and 'you shouldn't have done that.' He's also scared out of his mind, Good Luck," Malcolm briefed us as we walked into the station. He lead us to a door and Annabeth and I walked in. Ethan Brown had brown hair, brown eyes. He looked like an average person and he was definitely scared. He seemed a bit pale and was constantly fidgeting. His head snapped up when we came. I shared a side glance with Annabeth before sitting down in front of him.

"So Ethan, where were you last night between 10 and 12." Annabeth asked.

I watched his face as he responded. A slight hesitation before responding , "Home."

"And do you have anyone who can verify that?"

Another slight hesitation before, "No."

"What was your relationship with Ashley Scott."

"She was a friend."

Annabeth rose an eyebrow, "A friend, someone you called leaving a very angry voicemail I might add, almost threatening her."

He almost broke, "Look here, I didn't mean any of that. I was mad and slightly drunk, i don't even remember it that well. This is a mistake. I didn't kill her."

"Of course you have no one to account for your whereabouts and it is unlikely you would leave such a strongly worded message without some reason."

"I..I was mad at her a bit ... for ditching me at the party." he confessed.

"You loved her," I said suddenly realizing his behavior. Ethan looked at me in surprise,

"Yes. Now you see why I couldn't have killed her. I loved her. Last night at the party she ditched me for some other friends and I don't know. I got a little drunk. Probably decided I needed to tell her and called her."

"That does not prove-" Annabeth was cut off by Ethan,

"Listen I didn't kill her, you," he turned to me, "you understand that I loved her."

"Love makes people do crazy things. People have killed those they have loved before that doesn't necessarily help you." I stated.

Ethan was looking panicked.

"Do you know anyone by the name of Briana James?" Annabeth asked. Now Ethan frowned,

"I don't think so, the name doesn't ring a bell." He seemed to be answering honestly.

Annabeth asked a few more questions about Briana that were all met with confusion or surprise. We left him alone and went outside. I turned to Annabeth,

"Quite a character." She nodded thoughtfully.

"He doesn't seem like a killer, too cowardly. He is afraid of the police. Whoever planned these murders was level-headed and not afraid. They are practically asking to be recognized by marking the scene."

"I agree with you, but we still can't cross him off our list. He hesitated when you asked about what he was doing last night." I said.

"Yeah, I noticed that and after I asked him about the alabi."

"He's hiding something." I agreed. We went into the conference room again and set up the files we had out.

"Who were the suspects in your case?" Annabeth asked.

"There were quite a few. Briana's welfare stuff didn't please many people. She went as far as to start protests and votes to go against certain policies."

"I think we should reexamine all of those suspects," Annabeth stated. I shrugged it was worth a try. As I looked through the old files Annabeth tried to find a connection between Ethan and Briana. Annabeth groaned in frustration.

"There is not a single connection between them."

"Detective Chase, there is someone here to see you?" a police officer called sticking his head through the door. Annabeth followed the officer out while I looked through the files. Ryan Sanders picture came up. I remembered him, he was my biggest suspect because if the programs that Briana wanted to happen happened then he would lose a lot of money. But he had a rock hard alabai. He was at an event during the time Briana was said to be killed. I looked through his info and something caught my eye. The schedule for the program he was attending. It started off with introductions, then speeches. There would be dinner and then a meeting for higher members. Ryan had been there for the whole thing. Unless...Yes! The dinner time corresponded directly with the time frame Briana could have been killed in. I got out my phone to make a few calls, we might have another suspect.

**A/N: Well? Please review! I would love feedback! **


	5. A New Look on Old Case

**A/N: Here's another chapter! More plot advancement in this one. Hope you like it! **

Annabeth POV

I was lead to a room where a woman with dark brown hair was sitting nervously on the seat. She stood up when I came in,

"Detective Chase?" she asked.

"Thats me," I held out my hand.

"Jessica Read," she responded shaking my hand.

"So Miss Read what brings you here."

"Well, uh, I just found out that Ethan had been brought in and I just wanted to tell you that he was with me last night."

I rose my eyebrows in surprise, "And why didn't he tell us that?"

"He was probably afraid of my boyfriend. See last night he was so drunk and heartbroken, he was a complete mess. I took him to my house and made him some tea and told him he could spend the night at my place. He was still drunk and somehow managed to collapse on my couch. The only thing he did last night was sleep to get over that hangover. He is also afraid of Tom, my boyfriend, and figured that if Tom found out he would be mad and come after him." Jessica finished her speech with a deep breath.

I nodded slowly, still processing the information.

"Why did Ethan call Ashley then?"

"They were on and on-off relationship. She got bored of him easily but he was head-over heels in love with her. For the past two months she had found another guy, she did that a lot, and this one was way more good looking then Ethan. I guess Ethan got jealous again and got mad at her."

"Is this the guy she ditched Ethan for?" I asked.

"Yes, he's Lance Creston I think."

"Thank you for telling me this." I told her. Now that he had an alibi, Ethan's case was weaker. He would be let go, I assured this much to Jessica and took my leave. One suspect had been shot down. Of course he was still a suspect just a weaker one now. I sighed and made my way back to the conference room hoping Percy had better luck.

"Yes, thank you so much, I appreciate the help. Bye" Percy hung up the phone just as I came in. He was smiling broadly.

"What happened?" I asked.

"We have another suspect."

"Thats good cause the one we had just got shot down." I told him about Jessica. He was surprised. Then he proceeded to tell me about Ryan Sanders and how he had been able to confirm that Sanders had been away during the dinner.

"This is good." I told Percy. "We at least have another lead now."

Ryan Sanders was the complete opposite of Ethan Brown. He was calm and collected, but you could see the anger in his eyes. He had asked for a lawyer as soon as he was called to the station.

"Why am I being questioned again, I thought I had proved to be innocent." he said angrily.

"If you are innocent please explain why you lied and said that you were at the event the whole time?" Percy asked.

"That's because I was."

"It has been confirmed that you left the hotel during dinner. You were seen by someone. Now the time of the dinner corresponds with the time of murder."

Ryan Sanders face got red before he exclaimed, "I went out to get some air and smoke a cigarette. Surely that is not a crime!"

Percy didn;t say anything and instead asked, "Do you know Ashley Scott."

Ryan looked confused, "No, why does that matter." Percy asked a few more questions before we left the room and the fuming Ryan Sanders.

"Well he has motive and opportunity but no connection to Ashley." Percy summed up.

I nodded. We worked on the case until ten at night, taking occasional breaks. By then we had a lot more info and I was dead tired. I tried to hold back a yawn. Didn't work. Percy noticed and laughed saying,

"Oh, looks like someone is tired."

"I am not," I argued aware that I was sounding like a child.

"It's okay. I'm tired too. Let's call it a day." We packed up the files and walked to our cars.

Percy turned to me,

"Good night Annabeth."

"Good night Percy."

"Sweet dreams. I'll see you tomorrow." He pushed back a strand of my hair and smiled. Then he was gone. He left me staring into the night a fire burning across my cheek.

**A/N: So how was it? Please review and tell me! Also who do you think is the murder, there will be more suspects later but I want to know who seems more likely now.**

**See ya later :)**


	6. Questions

**A/N: Hey guys! I just want to say thank you to all the amazing people who reviewed! **

**Daddy Directioner: Thank you so much for all the support! I'm glad you like it! Also thanks for supporting my other story too! You are amazing!**

**MischievousChaos: Thank you too! You've supported me through both my stories and I really appreciate that! Keep being awesome!**

**anthane: Thanks! I'm glad that you like it, and I assure you that in the end Percabeth shall prevail (though it might be hard) :) **

**California101, Cursesgoddessgirl143, mateo1999roxs, ilovepjo, and Guest thank you all for reviewing! I love the feedback!**

Percy POV

I woke up with a smile on my face thinking about a certain blond haired girl. I closed my eyes savoring the thoughts and little things about her. We had been so close at the cafe. I'm pretty sure I would have kissed her if it weren't for the phone call. I was falling for her, hard. I looked at my alarm clock and immediately sat up. I was late. I groaned then went off to get ready.

I entered the station a little while later, trying not to grin like an idiot cause I would be seeing Annabeth again. As I turned a corner I thought I saw a flash of golden and immediately backtracked. Yep I was right, there was Annabeth in all her glory talking to another man. This guy was Latino looking and had brown hair and a mischievous smile. He had a tool belt around his waist. The elevator opened and another man came through heading right towards the them. He had blond hair and sky blue eyes. Annabeth gasped when she saw him and gave him a hug. He smiled at her and returned the hug then turned to the Latino man and have him a half hug. I frowned at Annabeth hugging this guy. The three seemed to be good friends as they continued to talk to each other. Then the blond dude did something inexpiable.

He pulled out a jewelry box and handed it to Annabeth. She opened it and even from my distance I noticed the ring in it. She gasped and I couldn't take it anymore. I practically stormed to the conference room. I felt sad, mad? I didn't even know. As I sat down facing the files trying to calm myself the door opened and Annabeth stepped in. She had a smile on her face.

"Hey Percy."

"Hi," I managed not glancing her way.

"Is everything alright," she asked concerned. I wanted to yell that everything was not all right and that I should be the one giving you the stupid ring. But I didn't, instead I just said,

"Yeah. I'm fine."

She frowned but seemed to let it go for the time being,

"Hey my friends want to see the case and meet you, are you okay with that?"

I just nodded and she called her friends in. They stepped inside.

"Oh so this is what you do all day locked up in a room," the Latino man said looking around in interest.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and said, "Guys this is Percy, and Percy this is Jason and Leo."

"Hey," Jason smiled at me. I forced myself to smile back,

"Hey."

Leo looked at the files,

"how gruesome, it's lovely."

"Leo shut up" that was Annabeth.

"We'll go now, sorry for intruding," Jason said.

"No problem," I responded.

"Besides," added Leo nudging Jason in the side, "Jason has go make himself look decent for a special someone for a special occasion"

"Shut up" Jason's face got red.

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"Oh, it's just that Jason is finally going to propose to his girlfriend, which we have been waiting for since the beginning of time," Leo blurted grinning at me before Jason could do anything. Jason groaned.

"You know he's right Jason. Piper is my best friend and I know that she has been hoping for a while now."

Jason put his face in his hands, "Not you too Annabeth. Way to provide support."

Annabeth laughed, "It'll be fine. You shouldn't be nervous. The ring is beautiful and Piper loves you, we all know she's gonna say yes."

Wait what? Piper not Annabeth. My head cleared up and I suddenly felt light and happy again.

"Anyway, we have to go now," Jason said clearly wanting to get out of the situation. "It was nice meeting you Percy."

"Yeah same here man," Leo said.

"It was nice meeting you too."

They waved goodbye and were about to leave when I called,

"Oh and Jason," he turned around, "Good Luck!" He smiled and nodded at me before closing the door.

* * *

"The question is, what does K stand for?" I mused.

"I don't think it's his real name. Probably a reference to something." Annabeth responded.

"Yeah, maybe something in history, or a popular reference?" I offered.

"This could be a gang sign, or a group name, or just an individual. I'm leaning toward individual," Annabeth said thoughtfully.

"We need to get info on this," I said.

Annabeth nodded, "I'll ask Malcolm to look through records and stuff, meanwhile we are going to the museum."

"Museum?" I asked completely at loss.

"They have a temporary exhibit set up about different groups and organizations from now and history."

"Plus," she added as we headed out the door, "It's a change of perspective."

I had never been a museum goer, I thought they were kind of boring. But, I thought as we got into my car, I would willingly go anywhere with Annabeth.

**A/N: Well how was it? I know the beginning was a bit unnecessary but I wanted to add it in. Please review!**


	7. Fight

**A/N: Here is another chapter! More action in this one. Hope you like it!**

Annabeth POV

We walked into the huge double doors of the museum. I smiled as we entered the quiet atmosphere, the place had an aura of knowledge. Luckily it wasn't t too crowded and we were able to make our way to the exhibit. As I read up on the Ku Klux Klan, Percy was gravitating towards the Greek section. I decided to join him. I loved learning about the Greek mythology and architecture. Percy was studying a display about Poseidon.

"You like Greek myths?" I asked.

He nodded, "I find them fascinating. When I was younger my mom told me stories about Greek myths.

"Same here, look it's your namesake." I pointed to a picture of Perseus. We ended up away from the exhibit we were supposed to be looking at and deeper into the Greek one. As we talked I caught a slight movement to our right. I turned sharply but saw nothing. Percy noticed this.

"What happened,"

"I thought... it's nothing," I said turning away from the spot. We continued talking and I was pretty sure that there was another slight movement. I looked that way again, somewhere next to the Nemesis picture. Percy followed my gaze.

"Is there something over there?"

"I don't know but I thought I saw something," As I said it someone turned the corner and I briefly saw a swish of black.

"Did you see that?" I asked.

He nodded, "Let's go."

We made our way to the corner, barely peeking past it. The hall there was empty. We stepped in. Percy had his hand near his gun which was hidden under his shirt. We crept slowly. There was another movement to our left this time. The same swish of black. We ran to the spot. Someone was definitely here and they were watching us. Suddenly, there were two more swishes of black. Percy and I stepped into the middle of the room standing back to back. Two figures emerged out of the shadows. They were wearing all black and their faces were covered with cloth. They were hooded as well. They advanced on us.

Percy whispered to me, "Got a gun?"

I nodded, I had one in my bag. The hooded figures walked toward us slowly then without warning pounced. I immediately responded my self-defense training kicking in. One of the men, I'm assuming men because of their stature, grabbed me. I immediately elbowed him away and punched him. He was a bit taken aback but responded and tried to punch me. I dodged and kneed him instead. Percy was having a similar fight with the other guy except they were practically wrestling. I reached into my bag for my gun but the guy had other ideas, he swiped me and I fell to the ground. The guy pinned me and I struggled against him, eventually breaking free. I had lost my bag in the confusion and saw it lying on the ground a few feet away. I tried to crawl to it, but my side hurt really bad. The guy hadn't stopped either he continued to fight be as I tried to lead our battle near my bag so I could get my gun.

I spared a glance at Percy. He wasn't looking that good either. His lip was bleeding and he had a bruise on the side of his face. The guy he was fighting seemed to be limping. I looked a second too long because the next thing I knew I was punched in the face. I bit back a cry of pain and instead tried to focus my now wobbly vision to the guy in front of me. He punched me again. I felt more pain shoot through me. I kicked him in the groin. He doubled back and crumpled to his knees. I took advantage of the fact and pinned him down punching him again. He was growing weaker with every hit, but he managed to grab a hold of my neck. I couldn't breathe but I fought back anyway. His grip was starting to loosen and I could breathe a bit more. Then suddenly he was knocked off of me.

Percy stood there beat up and hurt but with an intense anger in his eyes. I had never seen them so fierce. He pulled the guy away from me and punched him with such force that the guy fell back. I'm pretty sure Percy would have pulverized him if it hadn't been for Percy's attacker running away. Taking advantage of our distraction my attacker raced away too. Percy and I sped off through the museum in pursuit of the two attackers. We ran back into the main lobby. People stared at us weirdly as we looked frantically around for them.

"We lost them," Percy panted.

I nodded, "They probably left the building."

"Are you okay?" he asked me concern clouding over his eyes. I knew I looked bad. My hair was a mess. I'm pretty sure I had a cut on my face and my stomach definitely had a bruise judging by the pain. He reached out to touch my cheek. I tried not to wince and he immediatly withdrew his hand. I missed the comfort.

"I'm fine what about you?" He looked bad too, the cut on his lip was still bleeding and he had wounds on his cheek as well.

I tried to breathe as the full effect of the pain started to hit. I bent down a little. Percy came up beside me.

"You are not okay, we are taking you to the hospital," he said.

"Well neither are you, you're hurt too Percy." He winced. I got up grabbed his hand and turned around to head out the door, my head still a bit fuzzy, when I felt something cold and metallic pressed to my forehead. I looked up to see the gun.

**A/N: Oooh a cliffy (I've always wanted to have one)...sorry for that! Anyway please review and let me know what you think!**

**See ya soon! :)**


	8. Challenge

**A/N: Hey guys- here is the next chapter! I want to thank all the reviewers, you are all amazing!**

**To long .live . HP. PJ. HG: Thank you for reviewing on every chapter, even though I told you it wasn't necessary. But then again you're really good at not listening to me, (Stop smiling!) anyway, thanks for all your help, I know I bother you at inconvenient times to get you to help me so yeah- appreciate it. Also now that this is officially going online, make your bed!(it's a mess!) Love you! (you can now turn to me and say whatever- but I'm not getting you ice cream) :)**

**Sorry about that, without further ado:**

I immediately put my hands up and took a step back. The guy holding the gun didn't move. I tried to make out his face but it was covered behind a piece of cloth covering his nose and mouth. He had sunglasses on his eyes. This was not the same guy who had attacked me. Behind me Percy made a movement to grab his gun when the shooter switched direction now aiming the gun at him. Percy slowly put his hands up.

"What do you want?" He asked the gunman moving closer to me at the same time.

In response the gunman aimed upwards and fired a shot. A lot of people screamed.

"Everyone down." I yelled. People quickly crouched to the floor.

Percy asked again, "What do you want with us?" He came up next to me and pushed me behind him standing in direct path of the gun now. I was shocked by this move, he was shielding me from the gun with his own body. The gunman now was reaching into his pocket for something. This gave me an idea. I slipped my hand underneath Percy's shirt to his waist. I felt him stiffen slightly at the touch. I ran my hand along his waistline until I reached what I was looking for.

The gunman threw a piece of paper on the floor. I took a moment to over Percy's shoulder. The piece of paper had a large red K printed on it.

"Who are you?" Percy asked in an attempt to stall. My fingers grasped Percy's gun and I extracted it from its holder slowly. Once it was in my hand I stepped from behind Percy and pointed it at the gunman.

"Drop the gun." I demanded. The gunman seemed taken back by the gun in my hands and Percy used that moment to spring upon the gunman, making him drop the gun. Percy wrestled the guy for a moment before pinning him down. I looked around at the cowering and scared people,

"Everyone remain calm, do not move from your positions. NYPD" I showed them my badge and pulled out my phone, still keeping the gun pointing to the shooter, and dialed a number.

"Hey Malcolm, we need backup. There is a gunman, Percy's got him pinned down."

I proceeded to tell him the location and about five minutes later the police squad showed up Malcolm in the lead.

"Annabeth!" he called, "are you okay."He said frantically looking at my beat up face. I smiled. Malcolm had become like somewhat of an older brother to me.

"I'm fine." I motioned to Percy who was still pinning down the gunman and the police officers immediately surrounded them and handcuffed the shooter. Percy bent down and picked up the paper with a K on it.

"Looks like we are being followed."

-LINEBREAK-

Percy and I were lead away from the scene to get medical treatment for our cuts. It wasn't anything too major and the EMT guys patched us up pretty quickly. Percy turned to me when we were out of earshot.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked softly.

I nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine." We walked in silence the rest of the way and it was only when we had gotten into his car and started driving did I voice something that had been in my head for a while.

"You didn't have to shield me, I would've been fine and You could've gotten hurt."

He looked straight ahead as he responded, "That may be true but I didn't want to take the chance. And it doesn't matter if I get hurt, besides I'm fine. "

We sat in silence, and I glanced at Percy. To my surprise he seemed angry, his eyes were a murky green and he gripped the steering wheel tightly. I placed a hand on his arm. I felt his muscles relax a bit.

"Are you okay?"

He didn't respond. I waited expectantly.

"It's just... I hate this guy... he might have...you could have...I want to kill him." He sputtered out finally. I had known that I was falling for him but after that whole scene I knew for sure that I had fallen, hard. No one had ever cared for me this much and Percy he just...he protected me, saved me by putting himself in harms way. I loved him for that, for caring this much. I glanced at him again. His anger has subsided and worry had replaced it. I squeezed his hand and held it the rest of the way into the station.

-LINEBREAK-

Percy was pacing the length of the room.

"This guy was a paid shooter. He was paid to threaten us with a gun."

"And just threaten not kill, K doesn't want us dead." I added in.

"No, he is challenging us. He knows we are on the case, he wants to scare us."

"He hired those goons to beat us up too," I mused.

"He wants to weaken us."

"Or show us his power."

The door opened and Malcolm came in. "There's been another murder."

**A/N: The plot thickens, or at least I hope. Tell me what you think, Please review! **

**See ya soon!**


	9. Another Murder

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry this is so short. To make up for it I posted another chapter too. Actually I could have combined them both but one's in Percy's POV and the other in Annabeth's so yeah.**

**Also, looking back I realize all the grammer mistakes I made. Yikes! Sorry about that (I don't know how I'm in AP English). **

**Anyway Here you are! **

Percy's POV

"What!" Annabeth and I said at the same time. Malcolm nodded grimly. We got in the car and Malcolm told us what he knew.

"Got a call from an officer saying that there had been a murder and the letter K was written on the wall. The victim was Jennifer Landon, she was a barista and was murdered at the bar and layed down like the others in a storage closet. Some other worker found her. That's all I know."

"K has been busy today," I muttered. We went the rest of the way in silence. We arrived at the bar and was shown the crime scene. It was a large storage closet in the back where the body lay, curled up in a fetal position. The victim had blonde hair like the other two women and sure enough the bright red K stood out on the white walls.

Annabeth and I started asking questions when finding nothing profound in the closet.

"Do you know anyone who might have a grudge against or hate Jennifer Landon?" Annabeth asked another shivering barista.

"I don't think so, she got along with everybody, there was..." she trailed off.

"Who is it, please tell us it may be vital to finding the murderer," Annabeth prompted.

The girl hesitated a bit longer but then said, "It's probably nothing. There was this guy who was always hitting on her, nothing major, she told him off. He comes in often, they don't really get along.."

"What's his name?"

"Dylan Ullman I think."

Annabeth thanked her and we asked a few more questions. Annabeth turned to me at the end,

"We need to find Dylan Ullman."

-Linebreak-

"So, how am I supposed to know why little Jenny got herself killed, why am I supposed to care," the angry Ullman yelled at us during the questioning.

"Where were you this morning around 11-12," I asked ignoring his outburst.

"I was at home watching TV. Look I didn't kill her, I might hate her but I didn't kill her."

"Real smart this one," Annabeth murmured in my ear. I smiled at that, then quickly changed my expression.

"Do you know Briana James."

"Who the hell is that and what's this got to do with Jenifer?"

"Do you know Ashley Scott?" I asked ignoring him again.

"Sounds familiar, I don't know, maybe saw her at a party, look what does this have anything to-"

"Thank you for your time," I cut him off and walked with Annabeth out of the room.

"He is mad, and aggressive." Annabeth pointed out as we walked back to the conference room.

"But he's pretty dumb, he said a lot of things that put him in a compromising situation,"

"I agree, but he might be playing dumb to clear suspicion," Annabeth said. That was also a valid point. We had just sat down when an officer came in and told Annabeth someone was here to see her.

"Who is it now?" she groaned but made her way to the door.

As she left my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey Percy, you haven't murdered anyone lately right?"

"How did you know."

"Ha ha, you're hilarious Percy Jackson."

"So are you Rachel Dare."

**A/N: How was it? Again sorry for the shortness, but the next chapter is also up, so just click next for the rest! **

**Please review :)**


	10. Gossip

**A/N: Here is the next chapter, again to make up for the shortness. Here goes: **

Annabeth POV

"Jessica Reed, what a surprise." I said surprised. I had not been expecting her.

"Hello detective Chase."

I smile at her, "what can I help you with?"

"I just wanted to make sure Ethan is off the hook, so to speak."

I immediately recognized the tone of voice, she was here for news, gossip if you will. I wasn't going to give this case away. I smiled politely and said,

"Well, he does have an alibi so his case is significantly weakened."

"But is he clear now?" she pressed making me more suspicious of Ethan's innocence. I tried to avoid the question. I looked down at the table where her phone lay. The home screen was a picture of her and a man who was undoubtedly her boyfriend.

"Sorry, is that your boyfriend?" I asked. She lit up,

"Yeah that's Tom, isn't he gorgeous?" I nodded politely as she lifted her phone to show me another picture. Honestly though he wasn't that attractive or at least he had nothing on Percy. I blushed a little at the thought of Percy and my mind wandered off in a small daydream that was interrupted by Jessica Reed.

"Look at him here, this is a good one," she exclaimed. She was like a teenage girl. I made a customary remark and she said something about at party. She showed me a picture of a group of people. I recognized Ethan and Ashley at the end. Next to Ashley was Jessica and then her boyfriend. At the other end there was an unfamiliar boy with blond hair.

"Who's at the end?"

"That's who I told you about before Lance Creston." I nodded. The boy reminded me of Jason, and I wondered if he had proposed of not. Piper hadn't called me yet so I'm guessing he hadn't. I started to zone out more as Jessica continued talking. In the end I finally shook her off and made my way back to the conference room.

"So, Sunday at noon?" Percy's voice came through the slightly open door.

"Sounds good...alright...have more faith in me Rach...yeah sure you do...can't wait...bye." I stood outside the door in horror. Rach? like short for Rachel? He was planning a date with her. My heart sank. I had hoped he liked me back but... Oh get a grip, you're not an emotional teenage girl, I told myself. I had been spending way too much time with Jessica Reed. I entered the room.

"Hey, who was it?" Percy asked me.

"Jessica Reed."

"Her again, what did she want?"

"She wanted information, to gossip about."

"That must have been really annoying," he said sympathetically. "And before I forget, are you free this Sunday?"

"Yeah, why?" I asked confused.

"Um... I have a friend who wants to meet - I mean I want you to meet a friend of mine." He blushed a little at the end of the sentence. "Please say yes, she will kill me if I don't show."

"She?" I asked.

He nodded, "Rachel, she's a close friend."

"Um sure I guess," I said. He looked relieved. Wait, he wanted me to come with him. Meaning this wasn't a date. He didn't have a girlfriend then. I suddenly felt a warm feeling spread through me. It might have been of relief.

**A/N: Tell me what you think! Please Review! I'll try to update soon!**

**See ya! :)**


	11. Revelation

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm back! Love all you peeps who reviewd:**

**MischievousChaos: You are awesome. Don't worry Rachel will come in soon enough! Also thanks for supporting my other story!**

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**anthane: Thanks for liking this story and being ...involved...trying to find the right word. Anyway you'll see Rachel soon!**

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**Mrclarinet and Dianthus2241: You guys are great! Thanks for the support!**

**Percabeth4eva: You are so nice! Thank you for reading both my stories! :-) **

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Percy POV:

"Let's go over the case," Annabeth suggested.

"Ok, starting with the killer, I think we can safely say he is a serial killer whose victims are all blonde woman."

Annabeth nodded for me to continue.

"He goes by K and wants recognition for his crimes, he is directly challenging authority. He tried to scare and weaken us by hiring hit men," I paused again.

"And that's all we can gather about the killer's persona. Now on to the suspects."

"Ryan Sanders, diplomatic, has a case against Briana James but no relation to the other two women. Has no alibi for time of murder and he admitted to not telling us the whole truth. Motive is that any program passed by Briana could lose him money, but nothing for the other two." I summed up.

"Ethan Brown, scared, has a case against Ashley Scott but no relation to the other two women. He has an alibi for the time of murder, but that could be fake. Also he gave a threatening voice mail to Ashley the day of the murder. Motive because he was heartbroken, or jealous" Annabeth stated.

"Then there is Dylan Ullman, aggressive, hated Jennifer Landon, admits to knowing Ashley Scott. He has no alibi for both times of murder. Motive could be pure spite." I offered.

Annabeth frowned, "Each of our strongest suspects are only connected to one case, except Dylan, and have no correlation to each other. We went through a list of all possible suspects the day before and canceled them out."

"Well, like you said Dylan Ullman knew both the murdered women, and he is aggressive enough, hates authority and all that." I pointed out.

"Yes, but he's a bit too hotheaded. Whoever K is has definitely planned this out. Plus why would he associate himself with Ashley if he was the murderer" Annabeth asked.

"It might be to throw off suspicion," I said.

"Ok, fair point. Moving on Ethan Brown seems way too cowardly, it might be an act but it doesn't seem like he has the guts."

I nodded, "I agree with you on that. Ryan Sanders cares about his image but he might also care about money more."

"Sanders wouldn't do the deed himself though, he would hire someone else. I feel like whoever killed these women is not working for somebody."

I nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, that brings us to K. what does it mean?"

We sat in silence trying to find a missed connection. Suddenly Annabeth looked up,

"Percy, Briana James was killed then three days later Ashley Scott is killed,"

I nodded blankly, where was she going with this.

"Then two days later Jennifer Landon is killed."

My eyes widened, "He's counting down. Time is playing a huge role in this." I frowned trying to grasp a wisp of a thought,

"Wait! Annabeth, time.."

She gasped, "The lord of time in Greek mythology,"

"Kronos!" we both shouted at the same time.

Annabeth's eyes suddenly widened, "Percy, do you know what this means?"

I suddenly got what she meant and a horrible feeling spread through me. "It means, Kronos is counting down. 3..2.."

"One, the next murder will be in 24 hours."

**A/N: How was it?**

**Question: Who do you think it is, if it's any of them at all?**

**Please Review!**


	12. Answers

**A/N: Hey guys! Here is the next update! I hope you all like it! And I know I said this before but I really mean it- Thank you to all those who have been reading and reviewing! You guys are wonderful! **

**Here it is: **

Annabeth's POV

"This is bad," I muttered. Percy and I were looking over everything hoping to find a clue that would lead the the identity of Kronos.

"Let's go over each case," Percy suggested.

I nodded my agreement and he began,

"Briana James, she fits the victim's profile. She was tall, blonde and rich. She worked primarily in planning committees and campaigns that would lead to a loss of power and money for the losing side. She was killed at around 10- 12 and was chloroformed then stabbed. The K was marked on a desk."

I continued, "Ashley Scott, fit the profile too, tall, blonde, and rich. She was living carefree and loved parties. She probably met countless people many of whom could possibly kill her. She was also killed around 10-12 and the K was written on the table."

"Then we have Jennifer Landon. Tall, blonde, not that rich but moderate. She was a barista and probably had to deal with angry drunk people all the time. Was also killed 10-12 and the K was on the wall." Percy finished summing up. We sat in silence for a while and thought.

"The real question is motive. Why is the killer targeting blonde women?" I asked.

Percy shrugged, "He could have a personal vendetta against them."

"But it has to be something more than that," I frowned in thought. Percy typed something into his laptop. I looked over his shoulder.

"What's that?" I asked as a web page showed up.

"This is the website for Briana James's campaign. Just thought I would look through it considering we could use anything at this point," he said.

He scrolled through the site clicking on a gallery of a recent event. I was close to him, looking over his shoulder. He smelled like the sea. I smiled a bit at that.

"Looking through the pictures, Jackson," I teased.

He pouted and continued to scroll down. I saw something and stopped him,

"Wait!.." he paused. "Scroll up, go back," he did as told. "Keep going, more...Stop!" He froze and I looked closely at the picture. It was one of Briana James and another man. The man had blonde hair and looked distinctly familiar.

"He looks so familiar," I muttered. I was sure I has seen him recently. Then it came to me,

"That's Lance Creston!" I shouted, finally recognizing the face.

"Who's that.."Percy asked, then he froze, "wait isn't that the guy who Ashley hung out with recently."

I nodded, "Yes, for the past two months or something, wait...Ashley died her hair two months ago."

"So he knew her as a blonde, do you think..." Percy trailed off.

"We need to find out if he was at the bar, and do a background check." I stated. I called Malcolm and asked him to find out if Lance Creston had been seen at the bar. Percy called up friends of his who were experts at computer databases and hacking into stuff.

"Travis and Connor should be sending us information on him now," Percy told me as he opened up his mail. Sure enough there was a background on Lance Creston.

"Son of Henry and Mary Creston...his father divorced his mother to marry another woman...his mother went a little crazy...Lance stayed with his mother...suffered neglect as a teen..." Percy read off the page.

"Who did his father marry?" I asked.

"Christina Freeman- now Creston. Wife of the late Henry Creston." Percy said a she pulled up a picture.

"She's blonde." I stated.

"He hates her, they never got along. He must be the killer," Percy exclaimed.

"Of course, he would blame his mother's illness on her and the fact that his dad left them. Christina was much younger that Henry and probably only married him for money. It would account for his hatred against blondes" I said excitedly.

"And he suffered from neglect, which would explain why he is marking his crimes. To be recognized. It's a cry for attention," Percy added.

Percy's eyes skimmed the page getting more excited as he read, "He has a small record, has gotten into trouble for assault before."

"He was at Briana's event," I said pulling up the webpage again. "It says that Lance Creston is a huge supporter and member of the campaign that Brianna was leading. They are arm in arm in this picture. He knew her!"

"And he had a close relationship with Ashley Scott!" Percy said.

"If he knew Jennifer as well then-" I was cut off by the door opening.

Malcolm walked in, "So we showed his picture around. He's been there. Emily, this other barista said he flirted with Jennifer a lot."

Percy and I turned to each other. We had our killer.

**A/N: So how was it? Was it expected? Is it somewhat starting to come together and make sense? Please review!**


	13. Stand-In

**A/N: Hey guys! Here is the next chapter! Thanks again to all my reviewers!**  
**Also, check out my other story How We Could Have Met! **  
**Alright, here goes:**

Percy POV

"Lance Creston is about to commit another murder and we have less than 24 hours to stop him. We need to figure out where he's going to strike next." I said.

Annabeth agreed, "We know that she is going to be a blonde, he hates them because of his stepmother."

"What happened to his stepmother anyway," I wondered aloud and checked through the files that Travis and Connor had sent.

"It says she lives alone, ever since Henry's death, three months ago." Annabeth read over my shoulder.

"He might be targeting her next!" I exclaimed. Annabeth gasped,

"You're right, she might be his next victim! He was counting down until her death. Now that his father is dead, there is nothing stopping him!"

"But we need proof, some evidence." I said frowning.

"Let me ask Malcolm what he can do." Annabeth called Malcolm and figured out a way to get some evidence against Lance.

"We'll send someone to watch his movements and see of we can get a warrant to search his house," Malcolm said as he left.

"We also need to tell Captain Gregson," Annabeth stated. We found Captain Gregson in his office and gave him a run down of the case and what we had figured out.

"Well," he said at the end of it, "It's a nice story but like you said, no evidence."

"Malcolm is working on that sir and we're going to get a warrant to search his house, see if that leads to anything." Annabeth said.

"We still want some solid proof, like the murder weapon for instance." Captain Gregson said. We told him we would do our best and he wished us luck.

"Time's running out," Annabeth stated. "He's probably going to strike tomorrow around 10-12." I nodded. She was right, we are working against time. We went back into the conference room that had become a second home over the past two days. We sat down and waited for Malcolm. It was then when I realized how exhausted I was. So much had happened over the course of the day. The run in at the museum and the gunman seemed like a long time ago when really it had only occurred a few hours back. My stomach growled, it was 4:00 in the afternoon and I hadn't eaten since breakfast.

"Looks like someone is hungry," Annabeth teased. She looked worn out too. The bandages still wrapped around her face made her look in worse condition, her hair was splayed out everywhere and she had slight bags under her eyes. I was sure that I probably looked the same if not worse. Yet somehow between all that she managed to still come off as amazing. I realized that I was staring at her and quickly said,

"Come on, I missed lunch!"

She laughed, "Want to eat something?" We ordered pizza and ate it waiting for some sort of update. Malcolm came in,

"So I got someone-" he interrupted himself, "Is that pizza?"

I waved him over and gave him a slice.

"Thanks," he said, "anyway so someone is keeping track of his movements and we got the warrant."

"We'll go search his house after we finish eating" Annabeth said. I agreed mainly because I knew we were both starved. After our lunch, dinner, whatever we went to Lance's apartment.

He wasn't home but we searched through anyway being careful to leave everything the same way. I think both of us got the feeling that the less Lance knew about us finding out about him the better.

His apartment wasn't super neat, but it wasn't super messy either. It was like a normal person's place and nothing about it screamed murderer. We did find a bunch of handkerchiefs like the ones use to chloroform the victims but no traces of chloroform.

"Percy, check this out," Annabeth called me over to a bookshelf. She gestured to the array of Greek mythology book.

"Wow, he did his research." I said impressed. There was a book of Greek gods opened to Hades.

"Also obsessed, in a non healthy way. He is angry, almost deranged," Annabeth pointed out.

We looked everywhere but there wasn't any other evidence.

"He is really careful, yet confident," I said. "He doesn't think he'll be associated with the murders."

"And he was right, he wouldn't have come in if it weren't for Jessica Reed." Annabeth added.

"Remind me to thank her later," I joked. We went back to the station a bit disappointed that nothing to discriminating had turned up.

"That's something but not enough, you're going to have to catch him in the act," Captain Gregson said as we discussed the case.

"You're right sir, but it's too dangerous for Mrs. Creston," Malcolm said. He had warned Christina Creston about the predicted attack and she now had police security with her.

"I agree, we need a stand-in, someone to act as her."

"But who would..." I trailed off. Annabeth looked grim but nodded her head.

Annabeth was going to be the stand in.

**A/N: Well what do think is gonna happen! Please review and tell me how it was!**

**See ya for now :)**


	14. Argument

**A/N: Hey guys! So sorry this is so short! To make up for it I posted another chapter as well!**

**Here ya go: **

Percy POV

_No way! _I thought. There is no way Annabeth would stand-in to get almost murdered.

I said as much ,"No way, not you Annabeth."

"Percy there is no one else-"

I cut her off, "are you telling me there is not a single other blonde police officer in this force."

Annabeth just shook her head, "It's not about-"

I cut her off again, "You are not going to risk your life-"

This time she cut me off, "Percy I risk my life everyday! I'm in the police force for god's sake."

"So you are just going to go and willingly put yourself in danger!" I almost shouted.

"It's to catch a murderer, to save a life!" She argued back.

"And what if you get hurt, what if you lose your life!"

"I'll be fine-"

"You don't know that! I.." I stopped and took a breath turning away from her, "I.. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."

She calmed down to and put a hand on my shoulder forcing me back to face her. "Don't worry Percy. I'll be fine. You know I can take care of myself." I did know that, she was perfectly capable for fending for herself. She was strong, but that didn't mean I would like her to go and put herself in danger.

She put a hand on my cheek and turned my head so that I was looking at her.

"Besides, " she added, "You'll have my back, every step of the way." I sighed. She was right. I would be there to make sure nothing happened to her. And if that scumbag so much as touch a strand of her hair, let's say he would regret it.

"Okay," I said giving in. She smiled and squeezed my hand.

"Let's go tell the Captain and Malcolm." We had stepped out of the room before we had began our argument.

"I'll do it," Annabeth said firmly as we reentered the room.

"Are you sure, you don't have to do this Annabeth," the Captain asked.

"I'm sure."

"Well that makes things easier. We'll need to bring someone in to get you ready-"

"I'll take care of that sir," I said, "I know just the person."

The captain nodded, "and we'll need to go over some basics."

"We can call in a friend of mine who is a fighting expert sir," Annabeth said.

"Okay, and that's all for now. Get a good night's sleep, tomorrow is the big day, so-to-speak." Then the captain and Malcolm left leaving Annabeth and me alone.

"You sure about this right?" I half-heartedly asked her, knowing she would say yes.

Annabeth saw through that and smiled, "Yes, you know that's not going to change."

"Well worth a try," I said as we headed out the station. We got to our cars. I didn't want to leave her though.

"Bye Annabeth, see you tomorrow," I said against my will.

She smiled back, "Bye Percy." But as I turned to leave she called me back ,"Percy?"

"Yeah," I said as I moved back to her.

"Thank you," she whispered in my ear, kissing my cheek. And I couldn't get the grin off my face no matter how hard I tried.

**A/N: Fluffy! Okay so not really. Anywho, Please review and tell me what you think. **

**Click on the Next button for the next chapter!**


	15. Training and Coffee Runs

**A/N: Hey guys, again. Here is the next chapter just like I promised! And also, sorry if these are not that great but I need fillers to advance the plot a bit more later. **

Annabeth POV

I woke up the next day still a bit tired but mostly refreshed. I took another shower even though I had taken one yesterday. It helped me wake up. I sighed as the warm water ran over me. And since it's practically a truth of life that showers are the best place to muse over your life that's what I did. I had kissed Percy on the cheek yesterday, I couldn't believe it. It had been a spur of a moment thing. I didn't regret, I'm not gonna lie and say that I hadn't wanted to do that for a while. I got out, got ready and drove to the station with my thoughts on Percy the whole way.

-LINEBREAK-

"Frank!" I called out once I had reached the station. Percy wasn't here yet, which was not that unusual. He had been late before.

"Hey Annabeth," Frank said. I gave him a quick hug. I had called him last night to see if he could give me some extra training for what I was about to do tonight. Oh god, I thought, lets not think about that.

"So, you're gonna put yourself in a position that might get you killed?" Frank asked.

I rolled my eyes, "Yes, god you sound just like Percy."

Frank frowned, "Percy. As in Percy Jackson?"

I nodded," Yeah, you know him?"

Frank smiled, "Yeah, he's a friend of mine. Where is he?"

"Oh, you know Percy, running late."

And with that we got started. We went to the gym and with another police officer we went over the different possible scenarios and how I would have to react to them. By lunch time we were done and Percy still hadn't come in.

I frowned looking around noticing his absence. Where was he? Thought flooded into my head, what if he was hurt, maybe K had got him. Or what if he didn't want to see me after that kiss. But we were working together, he had to finish the case. What if he really didn't like me though. I tried to clear the thoughts out of my head.

"What happened Annabeth," Frank asked coming up beside me.

"Nothing," I mumbled. And my fears were confirmed when the door opened and Percy walked in followed by a red haired girl.

-LINEBREAK-

"Hey Annabeth, how are you doing?" he asked me gently.

I nodded my reply.

"Percy!" Frank called. Percy turned to the voice and looked surprised to see his friend standing there.

"Frank! What are you doing here man?"

"We're going over some defense and fighting moves for Annabeth's little stunt tonight."

"I should have known they'd call you in," Percy answered shaking his head. The red-haired girl cleared her throat.

"Oh, sorry," Percy said hurriedly.

"This is Rachel Dare, Rachel this is Annabeth and that's Frank." Percy introduced blushing slightly. Why was he blushing? Rachel shot him a knowing look that made him blush even more.

"Hi, nice to meet you." Rachel smiled holding out her hand.

"Nice to meet you to," I replied cordially.

"Rachel is a costume designer/makeup artist for movies. She'll get you ready and make you look more like Christina." Percy explained.

We chatted a bit longer then Percy and I stepped away a little.

"You still want to-" Percy started but I cut him off.

"Yes." He sighed and Malcolm entered.

"Alright, there is going to be a meeting in an hour. Captain Gregson wants to go over the plan and positions," he told us.

We thanked him and Percy turned to me.

"Want to grab some coffee?"

"Sure, let me change." I left and changed out of the sweats I had been wearing for the practice then walked with Percy to the cafe. I remembered the first time we had been here, and how close we had been to each other. Percy jolted me out of my thoughts.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking..." I trailed off as we got to the counter. We ordered five different drinks, apparently our 'just getting coffee' had turned into a full on coffee run for our friends.

"You'd think we'd get more respect," Percy mumbled as he struggled to hold all the drinks.

I laughed and took some from him, "I agree."

"We should rebel!" he said excitedly.

"And how is that going to happen, exactly?" I asked him. He got a sneaky smile on his face and led me back to the station. Once we had arrived and handed out the drinks I noticed that Percy was no where to be seen. I frowned and looked around, and just as I was turning the corner I felt a pair of arms pull be back, one on my waist the other over my mouth stifling my scream.

**A/N: So how was it, sorry if these weren't to good. Promise you it'll get better. Hopefully. **

**Anyway Please review!**

**See ya! :)**


	16. The Plan

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm back. I realized that I ended the last chapter in a dramaticish way. Sorry, I don't think the resolution is that climatic...**

**Sorry! Hope you like it:**

"Ahh..mgh." The strong arms turned me around and I was face to face with the one and only...Percy Jackson? He took his hand off my mouth.

"What was that for!" I almost yelled.

"Shh.."

"What is going on?" I asked.

Instead of answering, Percy immediately stood in front of me wrapping his arms around me. He bent his head down and rested his cheek against mine. Oh my god was he going to kiss me? I felt my heart rate increase .

"Don't say anything, and come with me." He whispered against my cheek. Despite the urgency in his voice I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. He turned me again and I caught a glimpse of a person walking by us. I realized he was trying to hide me from view. Percy held me in that comfortable position for a minute longer then pulled away. He leaned past the corner to see if the person had passed. I leaned a bit to look and the only thing I caught, before Percy pushed me back, was the back of a head with blonde hair.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Lance Creston is here, and he can't see you."

"He knows I'm working on the case," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but he doesn't know what you look like, he might recognize you tonight, even after the makeover."

"He probably already knows what I look like anyway."

"Just come with me," he sighed, He grabbed my hand and led me to a door further down the hallway and we entered a room.

"What's he doing here?" I asked.

"I don't know, he's talking with Malcolm right now," Percy shook his head. "I have a feeling that this case is about to get way more dangerous."

-LINEBREAK-

We waited for fifteen tense minutes before Percy got the all clear text. We went to the Captain's office.

"What happened?" I demanded to know.

"He came in because he felt that there was a robbery at his house. He reported things as missing," Malcolm explained.

"He might be on to us," Captain said. "Which is why we need to make sure every aspect of the plan is foolproof."

-THE PLAN-

"Okay, so Christina has a dinner to attend today, at seven o'clock. She will be at the dinner, at nine she will get in her car but won't arrive home."

"You'll be switching places with her then, you will arrive at the house at ten. We will set up cameras and have policemen stationed in and around the house."

"You will come in through the front door. We are counting on Lance already being in the house."

"If he tries to chloroform you as you enter fight him and we will send out the policemen immediately."

"There is a higher chance of him waiting till you are situated before he attempts to kill you. You are acting as his stepmother and he hates her, he will probably want her to suffer."

"If he doesn't attempt to do anything, go to the kitchen and grab a glass of water or something like that. Then go to the living room and turn on the TV, read a book, something that will make it look like you are occupied. Be alert then, because he will probably try to sneak up on you."

"Remember all your training, if he tries to stab, or kill you, fight back. If he is holding you down or ties you up, get him to start talking."

"There is a chance that he might come to the door and not be in the house when you enter. In that case let him in, act surprised, you are not expecting to see your stepson."

"Let him in and try to get him to talk. Even if he suspects you, do not break the act. If anything goes wrong or you are in immediate danger we will step in."

"There will be policemen inside the house to monitor you as well."

"You will be constantly connected to us via this bluetooth. Your hair will hide it. We will give you more situation specific directions through this."

"And that's about everything," Malcolm concluded, checking the papers once more before looking up at me.

I nodded taking a deep breath. This should be fun. I glanced at the time. It was 2:00.

"You'll be meeting Rachel at five so she can get you ready," Malcolm added, noticing the time as well. "And you will be meeting Christina at four to get a feel of how she acts."

"This is a lot to remember and do Annabeth," Captain Gregson said. He gave me a look that said he was sorry for what I had to do, but that it was important.

"Of course sir."

Percy and I turned to leave, "and Annabeth?" Captain's voice called.

I turned around.

"Good luck."

**A/N: The plot thickens, somewhat...maybe not that much..Anyway tell me what you think! Please review! **

**See ya! :)**


	17. Calm Before A Storm

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm back, again! Anyway thank you to all my reviewers! I love you all! **

**ITS MY ONE-MONTH ANNIVERSARY ON FANFICTION!**

**Also I am co-writing a story with MatthewSonOfPoseidon which is called The Twins and the Olympians Book one: the Lightning thief.**

**Check it out if you can! **

**On with the story (there will be more action soon):**

Percy POV

"So you have two hours, what are you going to do?" I asked as we walked out of the office.

"I don't know," she answered, thinking.

"You should rest, get some sleep." I suggested.

"But, I'm not that tired."

"You should still rest," I insisted.

"Let's go," she said suddenly pulling my hand.

"Where are we going?" I asked as she led me out the station. She didn't answer and kept walking until we reached a park.

We sat down, leaning against a tree."

"It's so peaceful here," Annabeth said after a moments silence.

"Yeah, I agreed."

We talked quietly a bit but Annabeth started to doze off. She leaned on me, probably subconsciously, but it still felt nice. I put my arm around her and shifted her to a more comfortable position. She was sleeping now. She looked so peaceful. I wanted her to rest. I frowned as I thought about what she had to do later. She couldn't die, or get hurt. I looked down at her peaceful sleeping form and promised myself I would never let harm come her way.

-LINEBREAK-

A vibration startled me awake, I guess I had also started to doze off. I managed to get my phone out of my pocket without waking Annabeth.

"Hello."

"Hey Percy, where are you and where is Annabeth?"

"Oh god, what's the time?" I asked wide awake.

"Five minutes to four."

"We'll be there." I told him and hung up.

"Annabeth," I shook her gently, "Annabeth wake up."

She started to stir awake, but when she realized our position she quickly sat up with a blush on her face.

"Oh, I ,uh.."

"It's almost four, come on." I stood up and held out a hand to help her up. We walked back to the station not letting go of each other's hands until entering the building.

"Just in time," Malcolm said as he saw us approach. "She's here."

We walked into a room where a woman was sitting down. She had a similar shade of hair as Annabeth but it just didn't make her look good. While Annabeth's golden curls enhanced her appearance, Christina's made her look a bit like a dumb blonde. I also noticed she was still relatively young, or at least not as old as Lance's parents should be.

"Mrs. Creston this is Detective Chase, she will be stepping in as you and that is Detective Jackson, who has also been working on the case."

"Hello," she said politely enough, but I saw her gaze linger on me. God that's disgusting, I thought.

"Hi, nice to meet you," Annabeth said stepping forward. They started to talk and I zoned out a bit. My attention kept wandering to a curly haired, smart, and gorgeous detective.

**A/N: So what did you think? Please Review! Also check out MatthewSonOfPoseidon's profile he has another great story! **

**See ya :)**


	18. It's Time

**A/N: Hey guys. I'm back (I say that a lot, don't I) anyway! Here ya go...it's just to tie up the story before the plan...**

**And start:**

Annabeth POV

Honestly the rest of the afternoon was like a blur. I talked to Christina, tried to act a bit more like her and stuff. When she had left Rachel dragged me to the conference room which was now being used as a dressing room. Rachel had me change clothes then she messed with my hair and face for the longest time. Finally, with the last dab of her brush she held out a mirror to me. I could barely recognize myself. I looked a lot more like Christina. My hair was down and straightened like hers and the make up made me look so much like her it was unreal. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Rachel yelled her mouth half filled with bobby pins to mess with my hair.

"Hey guys, how i-" Percy stopped mid sentence as his gaze found me.

"Woah, nice job Rachel." he remarked.

Rachel stepped back and beamed at me, "A work of art!"

"Thanks Rachel," I added in, still trying to get over my appearance.

"No problem! Pleasure to be of assistance," she smiled at us and gathered her stuff to leave.

"Good Luck Annabeth," she called out to me as she walked out the door.

I smiled a small smile, "Thanks."

I turned to find Percy staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

"I like your natural curly hair better," he stated simply.

I smiled and blushed a little.

"Well it is temporary," I reminded.

"Thank god too," he added.

I smirked a bit, "Why Jackson?"

He blushed and muttered something really fast "Beacuseithinkyourbeautifulandperfectthewayyouare."

"What?" I asked. I thought he had just called me beautiful and perfect. Maybe it was just my wishful thinking though...I wanted him to like me back.

He shook his head, "Nothing, come on lets go."

I looked at the time and realized that it was already 7:00. How had three hours rushed by so fast? I nodded and followed him out of the room. We went over the plan and some details with Malcolm before getting into the car. By the time we arrived at the corner of a road nearby a cafe it was almost eight.

"Are you okay?" Percy asked me as we waited in the back of the van.

"Yeah I guess." I was starting to feel nervous now.

Percy opened his mouth to say something but he was interrupted by his phone ringing.

"Hello?" he said into the phone.

"Yeah, okay" and he put in on speaker, "She's on Malcolm."

"What happened?" I asked.

"Well, um something not that great." Malcolm's voice came through the other end.

"What do you mean?" Percy demanded.

"Well we uh lost track of Lance.."

"What?" Percy and I said shocked.

"Yeah, the guys who were supposed to be shadowing him lost his trail."

I just stared at the phone.

"Annabeth, listen. This means he can come to the house whenever, we won't be able to alert you, unless, he gets there early. We have police in the house now, Mrs. Creston had left for the dinner, if he comes in we'll know."

"But if he doesn't and enters later..." I trailed off, knowing the answer.

"You'll still get a heads up, just on short notice."

I nodded even though he couldn't see me.

"Annabeth?"

"Yeah, sorry. Um okay then."

"I'll update regularly."

Percy said bye and hung up then gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. Lance was on the loose and I would soon be his next target. A car rolled up around the corner. Christina got out of the drivers seat. I got up and walked out. It was my turn now, I turned on the bluetooth. Percy walked me up to the car.

"You'll be fine. I'll be there the whole way. I got your back."

A small smile made its way to my face. "Thanks Percy." But as I got in the car I knew that I would still have to face this alone. Although it was nice to know Percy had my back.

It's go time, I thought as I revved up the car and drove away, right to the murderer.

**A/N: Well, how was it? (I say that a lot to...) Sorry if it's not what you wanted but I couldn't just cut to the chase...so to speak. Please review!**

**See ya! :)**


	19. The Plan Part I

**A/N: Hey guys! The next chapter is here!**

**Here goes:**

Percy POV

"Annabeth, are you there? Can you hear me?" I spoke into my bluetooth. For a scary moment I was met with silence until,

"Yeah, I'm here," her voice came through. I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding.

"I'm on the way. I'm in the car behind you." I told her.

"I'm glad that's you and not him," she responded.

"Don't worry. I told you that I'll be with you the whole time." She didn't respond.

"Annabeth?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"How are you doing?" Just then another car came between us, effectively blocking my view of her car. The other car and Annabeth's made it across the intersection but I was stopped at a stoplight.

"Percy, where are you? I can't see you," Annabeth's voice came out a bit panicked.

"I'm at a stoplight. Don't worry, I'll catch up soon," I told her even though I was panicking slightly myself. I had lost sight of Annabeth, and even though I knew she was okay, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dead. Stop, I told myself, panicking isn't going to help anyone.

"Annabeth?" I asked again through the bluetooth.

"Yeah?"

"Nothing. I just..." I trailed off.

"It's fine Percy." There was a brief silence then she spoke again, "I'm almost there."

I immediately sped up to catch up to her. I was going 50 in a 40 mile zone but honestly I couldn't care less. Besides, I was a police officer and this was an emergency.

I pulled up a little ways behind Annabeth, who had parked in the driveway. I got there in time to see her get out of the car and enter the house.

"Percy, I'm in," she whispered.

"It's okay. He's not in there yet," I reassured her as I got out of my car and crossed the yard to go to the back door.

"Act natural, get a glass of water or something," I advised her. As I lost sight of her again the panicked feeling returned. I entered through the back door. Police had the area surrounded and there were police hidden outside and in the house as well. I walked into the kitchen but stopped myself and leaned against a wall where another policeman was hidden. I saw Annabeth come in and fill a glass of water.

"Annabeth, I'm in the house. I can see you, you're doing fine," I told her. I saw her eyes perk up as she searched the area and saw them focus on the hallway where I was hidden partially by shadows. She nodded her head to let me know she had figured it out.

"Go into the living room, turn on the TV or something," suggested. She walked into the living room and I discreetly followed her. I entered another room that connected to the living room and hid there. From my position I could clearly see the whole scene including the front door. Annabeth sat down on the couch and reached for the remote. She turned on the TV but her eyes skimmed the room. They rested on my hiding place.

"Found you," she said quietly.

"Am I that visible?" I asked alarmed.

She smiled a bit, "No, I can just tell where you are."

I smiled at that for a second, at the fact that she was able to find me so easily.c My phone vibrated slightly.

"Hello," I said quietly into the phone.

"Percy, we think Lance is approaching," Malcolm's voice came through the other end.

"Think?"

"There is someone walking towards the house, the build fits Lance, his face is partially hidden so we don't know for sure. But warn Annabeth." He said quickly then hung up.

"What happened?" Annabeth's voice came through the bluetooth and I forgot that she was hearing my side of the conversation.

"Lance might be on his way. They see someone approaching the house."

I glanced at her and she seemed to take a deep breath.

"Okay," she said.

"You'll be fine, just act natural," I reassured again. My phone vibrated. And as Malcolm told me the events I conveyed them to Annabeth.

"He's coming up the driveway...at the door now." Annabeth didn't even flinch as the doorbell rang. She calmly got up and made her way to the door. She opened it to reveal the man who was there to kill her.

**A/N: Well what do you think? Please review! **

**See ya! :)**


	20. The Plan Part II

**A/N: Hey guys! So I updated today because I know a lot of you want the next chapter.**

**Just please don't hate me...Sorry it's so short...I figured some update is better than nothing right. :)**

**Here it is:**

Annabeth POV

I opened the door cautiously and came face to face with the man that, up until now, I had only seen pictures off. He looked a bit different, he had bags under his eyes and looked really worn out.

"Lance? is that you?" I asked in a surprised tone of voice.

"Hello Christina," he said back.

"What are you doing here, oh come in. It's freezing outside." I ushered him in making sure that he was in front of me.

"Is everything okay?" I asked as he stepped further into the hall.

"I'd like to have a little chat Christina," he said pleasantly enough but with a cold look in his eye.

I feigned confusion, "Okay." I ushered him into the living room walking behind him once again. He sat down on a chair and I sat on the couch again. I reached out and turned the TV off.

"What happened?" I asked him curiously. Over the bluetooth I head a soft click that told me that Percy had readied his gun. Lance's fake facade broke down into a sneer,

"You know what's wrong, you know what happened and what you did."

I put a look of surprise and confusion on my face, "What are you talking abo-"

He cut me off, "Don't pretend like you don't know what is going on."

"I really don't know what is going on," I insisted. Lance looked about ready to kill me but then he suddenly relaxed and leaned back in his chair.

"Okay, you want to play it that way," he said. "Alright let's play it your way." He stood up and reached over to touch a strand of my hair. I heard Percy draw in a breath, but Lance did nothing more. He withdrew his hand slowly.

"I hate blonde's, do you know that?"

"You're blonde," I pointed out.

"And it's all your fault!," he continued as if he hadn't heard me.

"What?" I asked looking confused. Instead of answering he picked a sharpie of a table, walked to the wall and wrote the letter K."

"Lance, what are you doing?" I exclaimed.

"Does this look familiar?" he asked, ignoring me again. I frowned and shook my head. He took out a newspaper and threw it down in front of me. It was open to the article about the recent murder of Jennifer Landon. There was a reference to the K mark.

"That's the mark on the murder site..."I trailed off making my my eyes go wide. Lance grinned maniacally,

"Yes, now you understand that was me. I killed those women," he paused. I chanced a glance in Percy's direction, Lance had just confessed to committing those crimes.

"Because of you! Because of how you tore my family apart! Because how you practically killed my mother!" he shouted.

"I.." I stuttered a bit. I noticed a slight shift in the room, telling me Percy was moving to a better position.

"And now," Lance continued, "I'm going to kill you." And with that he lunged at me.

**A/N: So how was it? I'll try my hardest to get the next chapter up! **

**See ya! :)**


	21. The Plan Part III

**A/N: Hey guys! Here is the next chapter!**

**Also a quick note, if you can check out Twin-books new story When Two Lives Become One. It's really good! **

**Alright without further ado:**

Percy's POV

I saw Lance lunge toward Annabeth and her immediately fight back. I held my gun and shouted at him to stop. He ignored me completely. I couldn't shoot now, it was too dangerous and I might hurt Annabeth. Other police officers rushed into the room. I quickly left my gun and ran towards Annabeth and Lance. He had a handkerchief in one hand and a knife in the other. He was trying to push the chloroform to Annabeth's mouth but she was pushing him away, struggling to keep the knife from hitting her at the same time. I immediately joined the battle. I ripped Lance away from Annabeth and started to fight him back. He was now trying to stab me. He managed to twist so that Annabeth was next to him again. But she had a gun in her hands...my gun to be specific. I had a weird sense of deja vu.

"Hand's up!" she demanded pointing the gun at Lance. He stopped fighting me and for a moment everything was still.

"Hand's up! Your game is up Lance, give up now." Annabeth said in a calm voice even though she had a little blood on her face.

Lance looked around at the swarm of police officers that were surrounding the house.

"You are completely surrounded, you have no choice." I told him. He didn't answer, instead he just looked around again.

"You are arrested for murder, and you have the right to remain silent," Malcolm said coming up behind us with a pair of handcuffs. Lance still hadn't dropped his weapons. As Malcolm approached, Lance took a step forward with his hands up.

"Drop your weapons now." Annabeth demanded. Lance slowly knelt down then sprung back up. I was expecting a move like this so I pounced on him before he could escape. But he somehow managed to push me off and ran toward Annabeth. Annabeth fired a shot, but missed because Lance moved away, just in time. He ran to her and jammed the handkerchief into her face. She struggled and police officers ran to Lance to pull him off. They succeeded but at the last minute Lance got out of their grip and ran. I grabbed him from behind and we started another fight. The other officers joined in, Lance's knife went flying, leaving him weaponless. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Annabeth not able to stand up straight, she was tipping to one side and was about to fall over. The other officers were too busy trying to constrain Lance. I immediately ran up to her and caught her just before she fell. Her eyes were fluttering and her breathing was shallow.

"Annabeth! Talk to me Annabeth!" I frantically tried to keep her awake.

"Medic, we need a medic!" I screamed. Somehow, however Lance got hold of a gun. Everything came to a standstill as he pointed the weapon at us.

-Annabeth's POV-

I couldn't breathe right. Every breath was a gasp for air. I could feel my senses numbing. I lost all energy and couldn't even stand. I tried to take a step forward but I crumpled almost instantly. I didn't feel the impact of the ground however. I was resting in someone's arms. My eyes were unable to stay open no matter how hard I tried.

I felt my mind slip in an out of consciousness as I tried to figure out what was going on. But the darkness was enclosing me. I faintly heard Percy call my name,

"Annabeth," his voice desperately called out. I tried to answer but it was already getting fainter and fainter, and there was a silence for a bit. Then a shot rang out breaking the stillness. I heard Percy call out,

"NO!" but by then the blackness was closing in on me faster than ever.

"Annabeth!" was the last thing I heard before I was completely enveloped in darkness.

**A/N: Well? Wat do you tink? Please review!**

**See ya! :)**


	22. Waking Up

**A/N: Here is the next chapter! Hope you all are satisfied. **

**Here ya go:**

Annabeth's POV

My head hurt and my eyes fluttered open. For a moment I couldn't tell where I was or what was going on. Then the dizziness faded and I was able to look around and see sunshine filtering through the windows and falling on the clean tile floor. I looked around the hospital room as things became sharper and more in focus. The events of last night rushed into my head.

Percy! Oh my god! There had been a shot! I frantically sat up only to realize that I was being held down. I twisted a bit and saw Percy sitting on a chair next to the bed. His hand was holding mine and he was slumped forward sleeping. I was shocked to find him here. I looked more closely at him, he was still wearing the clothes from last night and he looked tired and worn out.

"Oh good, you're awake!" a nurse walked into the room smiling brightly.

"What happened?" I asked her, my voice a little groggy.

"Well," she started checking things on the monitors, "You were chloroformed and had some minor scrapes and bruises, don't worry nothing major."

She finished checking up on everything, "Well, you seem to be fine. Just a little more rest and we'll let you out."

"Thank you," I said. She nodded then cocked her head at Percy.

"He has been here the entire time."

"What?" I asked astonished.

"He was with them when they brought you in. Once we fixed you up, he stayed by your side. Refused to leave. He had been here all night and day." The nurse explained. I was even more shocked. He had been by my side for, I looked at the time it was almost noon, almost 10 hours. I couldn't believe that he cared for me that much...actually I could. I thought about how much he had done for me over the course of the investigation. He had stepped in front of me, ready to take a bullet. He cared enough to fight with me over weather I was going to be able a stand in. Last night he had supported her the whole time, reassuring her and fighting for me. He cared that much for me. And I loved him for it. I had definitely fallen for him, hard. I looked at him and reached with my other hand to brush his hair from his face. The movement, however, woke him up.

"Annabeth?" he said sleepily.

"Hey," I said quietly.

His head suddenly shot up and he looked wide awake.

"Annabeth! How are you doing? Do you feel alright? Do you nee-"

I cut him off, "Percy I'm fine, perfectly fine."

He examined me for a minute and decided I was telling him the truth.

"Percy, what happened?" I asked him. Questions were swarming around in my head. What had happened? Where was Lance?

"Lance chloromed you. It was a lot of chloroform, more than necessary. You fell down and I caught you. And Lance managed to get a hold of a gun. He killed himself."

I gaped at him, "What? He killed himself?"

Percy nodded, "Yeah, he didn't want to go to jail or maybe by that time he was delusional but whatever it was, he killed himself."

We were quiet a minute then Malcolm walked in.

"Hey Annabeth. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay."

He smiled, "That's nice to hear. I'm sure Percy told you what happened," I nodded and he continued, "So the case is officially closed."

"I'm working on the paperwork now." He finished.

"Thanks," I told him.

"No problem. Anyway I have to get these files to Captain Gregson. He sends his wishes, he couldn't be here because of some meeting."

"Okay, thanks." I responded. And with another wave he left the room leaving Percy and me alone.

"So," Percy said finally, "The case is officially over."

"Yeah..." I trailed off.

"You don't seem to happy," he pointed out.

"I am. It's just..." I trailed off again. I was wondering when I'd see him again. Now that the case was over, our temporary partnership was too. I didn't want him to leave.

"Well, I was, uh, wondering if-" Percy started but stopped as the doctor came in.

"Hello, Ms. Chase. How are you doing?" he asked. I told him I'm fine and he double checked everything then told me that I was free to go. Percy stayed with me and we both stepped out into the nice warm air together.

"You didn't have to stay with me," I tell him as we get into his car.

"I wanted to," he replied simply. I didn't know how to respond to that. I mean that was a sweetest thing anyone could do.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

"Anything for you," he responded. There was a small silence then Percy said,

"Captain Gregson has called a meeting at 4:00." We approached my house, I had given him the address earlier.

"Well, I'll see you then," I said as I opened the door to get out. But before I left he grabbed my hand,

"I'm really glad you're okay," he said. I smiled and kissed him on the cheek before I left.

**A/N: Well? How was it? Please review! **

**See ya! :)**


	23. Interrupted

**A/N: Hey guys! Here is the next chapter!**

**Here goes:**

Percy's POV

I went home and took a shower all the while thinking of Annabeth. She could have really gotten hurt, or died. But she was okay, she was alive and fine and she had kissed me. I had been so close to asking her on a date at the hospital, too bad that doctor had come in. I knew from the moment I met her that I wanted to get to know her better. That time at the cafe, I had known I was falling for her. And right now if there was any doubt in my mind, which there wasn't, I knew for sure that I had fallen for her. She had become such a big part in my life over the past week that suddenly I couldn't think of living without her. She was everything I could ask for, smart, talented, tough and absolutely gorgeous.

I sighed as I got out of the amazing shower and got dressed. It was nice to be in clean clothes again, I could have left Annabeth yesterday, but like I said I couldn't bear to leave her alone. I had to know she was okay. After a fresh pair of clothes, I decided to eat something. I realized how long it had been since I had last eaten and was suddenly starved. I must have not noticed in my worry for Annabeth. I slept a bit and soon it was time to meet Captain Gregson. I drove to the station and entered the office, Annabeth was already there.

"Hey," I said. She smiled in response then the captain walked in.

"Hello, good to see you both here safe and sound," he smiled at us. "Good job on the case. It is regretful that Creston killed himself but he was looking at a life sentence anyway."

"I also wanted to congratulate you in solving the case so quickly and preventing another murder." he added.

"And Annabeth, I know what you did was hard, and really brave. Thank you for that." he said kindly.

Annabeth smiled. "No problem sir."

The Captain congratulated me and with a few more words we left. Or we were about to leave when Captain Gregson called me back.

I turned back around confused and Annabeth quietly retreated. As it turns out the Captain had some things to tell me. So we talked, and let's just say I was satisfied with the outcome. I thanked him once more before leaving the office. I found Annabeth waiting for me.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Nothing, but what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on your way home?" I asked confused.

She rolled her eyes, "You stayed with me for like ten hours and I can't wait ten minutes for you."

I blushed a bit, "Oh, sorry."

"Seaweed Brain," she shook her head. I wondered about the new nickname, but I didn't press her.

"Wise girl," I retorted back. She raised an eyebrow but accepted the name. It just felt so right.

"So.." she trailed off, looking at me.

"So.." I said back.

She shook her head. "Nothing. I guess I'll see you later?" she said quickly. No way was I going to let her leave, besides I had just been teasing her.

"Oh no you don't," I said catching her hand.

She turned back looking confused.

"I'm not done Miss Chase."

She looked at me.

"Would you like to -"

This time I was cut off by my phone. I picked it up and glared at the screen, really I was just about to ask Annabeth-but my expression changed when I saw who it was. I was getting a call from my boss.

"Hello?" I said picking it up. I listened for a bit adding in a couple words here and there.

"Yes, of course. I'll be there soon." I said at last hanging up the phone.

Annabeth turned to me when I was done,

"I have to-"

She cut me off, "Yeah, I get it. You should get going," she said normally. But I felt like her eyes were masking disappointment.

"I'm sorry-"

She cut me off again, "Percy, you have nothing to be sorry for. You are needed, you should go."

I nodded hesitantly. I didn't want to leave her but I had to go.

"See you later," I said as I left. She just smiled and waved back. I couldn't help but think she looked a little hurt.

Well hopefully what I had planned would make up for that.

**A/N: Yeah sorry about the end...Well how was it? Please review and tell me what you think!**

**See ya! :)**


	24. Surprise

**A/N: Hey guys! So I'm back with two very important notices:**

**1. This is not over yet!**

**2. DO YOU GUYS WANT A SEQUEL TO THIS? Another case fot the two detectives?**

**Please tell me your answer in the reviews, or just PM me!**

**Here goes: **

Annabeth's POV:

I sighed as I took down the pictures of Ethan Brown and the other former suspects. I was in the conference room putting all the materials away that we had cluttered up the space with. I sighed again, walking into work today had not been fun. Knowing that I wouldn't be seeing Percy again today had made me a bit depressed. I didn't know what to do anymore. I liked him, a lot, and he...well I didn't know. He had disappeared off to go see his boss the day before and I hadn't seen or heard from him since. I had contemplated texting him but had decided against it. What if he didn't really want to see me anymore, I mean the case was over.

But that thought made me a bit mad. I mean he made it seem as though he liked me, and I honestly thought he did. But now he had just disappeared. He had waited in that hospital for me for almost ten hours and he didn't even call within three after leaving. Did that mean he had only done all that cause I was working with him, so he felt obliged to take care of me? Or did he actually like me? Why was he messing with my brain so much? Ugh! Then again was he okay? Had something happened to hi-

I felt a hand on mine, I looked to the side to see Percy standing there with a smile on his face. What! When had he come in? Was I really that deep in my thoughts?

"Are you done tormenting that piece of paper?" he asked. I looked down and was surprised to find a crumpled and ripped sheet of paper in my hand. I unfolded it to find a picture of Lance.

"I know he deserves that fate but I think you've mauled it already," Percy said grinning.

I ignored that comment, "What are you doing here?" I asked still bewildered.

"I work here," he said casually.

"But the case is over.," I said.

"Yeah it is," he agreed. Then all the pieces fit together in my head. He was going to work here! With me! I stared at him in shock, why hadn't I figured that out before? I'm a freaking detective.

"No way! You're actually working here!" I exclaimed.

"Yep!" he grinned even more.

"That's great!" I said hugging him. He hugged back and we broke apart awkwardly.

I blushed, "Oh, um sorry-"

He waved it off and instead took my hand and brought me closer.

"Looks like you're stuck with me Chase," he said quietly still smiling.

"Oddly enough, I don't seem to mind," I said drawing closer as well.

"That's good," he said.

"Why?" I asked quietly

"Cause that means I can do this," and with that he kissed me. I felt as though I was melting into oblivion. He pulled me closer putting an arm around my waist and my hands made their way to his neck. We kissed for what seemed like forever and I didn't want to stop but we did have to breathe. We pulled away and he stared into my eyes.

"I don't mind you doing that either," I said after we pulled away. He smirked,

"Even better." I smiled and leaned on him a bit.

"So Annabeth, will you go out to dinner with me?"

"No." I answered. His face was priceless, he looked so shocked.

"Why not?" he asked frowning.

"That is what you get for making me wait this long and scaring me," I said defiantly.

"Well in my defense, I was interrupted twice."

"Your problem," I shrugged.

"Aww, come on. Is there any way I can make it up to you?" he pouted. God he looked so cute.

"Well, maybe..."

He smiled and leaned in again, "Does it involve..." He never got to finish because my lips were on his.

**A/N: Well how was it? For all you fellow Percabeth shippers who were waiting for them to kiss...was it good enough? Please review! And don't forget to answer my question!**

**See ya! :)**


	25. Epilogue

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm back! With the final installment of Love in Midst of Murder! It's been a great time writing this and I want to thank all of you for reading, reviewing and liking this story. But have no fear...After looking through all my reviews I have decided..**

**Definitely doing a sequel! You guys have given me some great ideas, so thank you for that! I hope that you all will come back for more mysteries when the sequel comes out (which will be...I don't know but hopefully soon) **

**Also I have put up a new story called 'Wait! What? Girl talk?'**

**So a lot of you wanted a date scene between them so I hope this will satisfy! :)**

**Here it is: **

"Your late," Annabeth told me as I slid in the seat across from her. I gave her a sheepish smile and a kiss.

"Sorry, but honestly the lady who was supposed to identify the body would not stop sobbing, she took forever and all she need to say was, 'it's him'" I whined.

Annabeth laughed, "Well, what was her relation to the guy, I mean obviously she cared for him."

I snorted, "Please he was an ex-husband or something. He dies cause he overdosed on drugs. She did not need to be sobbing for twenty minutes straight anyway. It's like she was trying to make me late for my date."

Annabeth shook her head at me but a smile was on her face, "Idiot," she mumbled.

I just leaned over and kissed her again. I still wasn't used to kissing her, and the effect had certainly not wore down. I'm pretty sure my brain melted every time. I still couldn't believe she was mine. I glanced over at her, she was studying the menu and looking so cute. Her eyebrows were furrowed a little like she was analyzing it like another case. Her hair was down and tumbled over her shoulders. She was amazing, and she was my girlfriend. I grinned stupidly at the thought.

"Percy, what are you smiling about?" Annabeth asked looking over at me.

"You," I replied still smiling.

She let out a small chuckle and blushed a bit.

"You are so cheesy!"

"I prefer the term romantic."

"Whatever you say, Percy."

"Did I tell you that you look beautiful?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Percy, I'm wearing what I usually wear."

It was true she was wearing her usual office pants and blouse but she still looked stunning.

"Still, you always look beautiful," I told her. She blushed and kissed my cheek.

"Percy, I'm yours you don't have to woo me." She said softly.

"I know. I'm just saying the truth," I replied sincerely. The waiter came up and we ordered our food. Once we had finished, I decided that now was the time for a stroll around Central Park before our lunch break ended.

We started walking hand in hand talking about anything and everything. We stopped by the pond where we had rested by the day Annabeth was going to be standing in.

"It all seems like years ago even though it's only been a month," Annabeth said leaning on me.

"I know," It definitely did feel long ago. But then again this past month has been great with Annabeth by my side. We rested a bit longer then went to the station.

As we walked in we saw Malcolm who was looking over his phone.

"Hey Malcolm," Annabeth called. He turned to us.

"Hey guys," he greeted.

"What's up?" Annabeth asked as he turned back to his phone. Malcolm looked up,

"I think we might have another case on our hands."

**A/N: Well what do you think? Please review or PM me with any feedback! **

**I'll put an update on this story when the sequel comes out!**

**See ya! :)**


	26. AN: Thank you!

**A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL MY REVIEWERS! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH! I REALLy APPRECIATE IT! COOKIES FOR EVERYONE! (::)**

**I love you all so much for reviewing and it's in part to you guys that I was able to finish this story. You have no idea how much this means to me! So thank you again, I hope that all of you have fully enjoyed this story and will come back for the sequel. I hope I got everyone in this! Love you! :)**

**Also for those of you who have read my other story and reviewed they, double thank you to you! :)**

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	27. AN: Update!

**Hey guys! This is just to show that I'm alive! And I am defenitly writting the sequel. **

**SO SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I'M SOOOO SORRY! REALLY! I hope I haven't made you all go away! :( Please forgive me! I haven't had time until now to figure it out. I'm trying to figure out most of it so that I can update faster. **

**It will be up soon! I promise to try to get it up ASAP! I'll post unother update on this story when it's ready!**

**Thank you guys! Love you!**

**See ya! :)**


	28. AN: SEQUEL!

**Hey everyone! This is just an update telling you that...**

**THR SEQUEL IS UP! **

**It's called Secrets of The Hidden City! Hope you all can check it out! Sorry for the wait! **

**See ya! :)**


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